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Al-Sisi heading for big win in Egypt but turnout low
Former military general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to claim victory in Egypt’s presidential election, with provisional results showing overwhelming support for him, although a low turnout of voters.
According to Al-Jazeera, Egyptian state television said early this morning that al-Sisi received 96.2 per cent of approximately 21 million votes cast, with final ballot boxes still to be counted. Al-Sisi’s sole opponent, Hamdeen Sabahi had reportedly received just 3.8 per cent of the votes. Crucially though, turnout appeared to be low, with Reuters reporting that just 44.4 per cent of Egypt’s 54 million voters had cast their ballot. Significantly, this would indicate a lower turn out than the 2012 election which swept the Muslim Brotherhood to power.
Al-Sisi, who led the military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer, had hoped to be handed an overwhelming mandate by the people. The two-day vote was suddenly extended to a third day of voting yesterday, while Tuesday was abruptly declared a national holiday. Egyptian government officials said these moves were designed to allow the “greatest number possible” to vote. However, US-based Democracy International, an election observer, said the measures “raise more questions about … the integrity of Egypt’s electoral process.”
Al-Sisi did not appear in public during the election campaign and has been light on policies, apart from a pledge to remedy the economy and increase employment. He has promised though to continue a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been outlawed as a terrorist organisation. The Brotherhood called for an election boycott and its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party hailed the low turnout, saying “The great Egyptian people have … written the death certificate of the military coup.”
Although many international leaders have appeared uncomfortable at al-Sisi’s forced removal of the Muslim Brotherhood from power, he is widely considered a stabilising force in Egypt and the region. Al-Sisi has indicated that he has every intention of maintaining the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.